Written by: Sophia Roman
Article source: JOY! Magazine
“You shall have no foreign god among you; you shall not worship any god other than me.” – Psalm 81:9
We recently visited Durban. While sitting with my cousin, basking in the sun, a couple came to sit next to us. As I was praying for the Lord to help me find an opening to share my faith, I reached out and introduced myself and my cousin Ruth to them. We found out it was their wedding anniversary – and that they love Jesus.
Devout Hindus
Beena and Vishnu Persadh Lalla live in Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal. Both grew up in Durban. They came from a strong Hindu background and were devout, staunch Hindu worshippers. Beena shared how she grew up in a big family and had to leave school to help her mom take care of her seven siblings. Later she met and married a fine young man, Vishnu Persadh Lalla. They were not only devout Hindus, but were actively involved in temple worship, following all the rites to keep the gods happy. It cost them so much time and money to buy all the food and things needed to sacrifice to the gods.
The burden of rituals
All over their home they had up to 1,5 to 2 metre-high statues, ready to follow the rituals at any given time. In all the worship and spending of money, Vishnu still lost his job. They were angry, devastated, and deeply depressed. How could their gods allow this to happen after all the sacrifices and idol worship? Beena remembers how she cried and sobbed herself to sleep as financially they just went backwards.
One of the Lalla daughters with her family.
Broken promises of their gods
Their eldest daughter lives in Johannesburg with her husband. They started going to church and received Jesus into their lives, to Beena and Vishnu Persadh’s dismay. They could not understand how their children could do such a thing to their family and Hindu gods. In the meantime, financially the Lallas struggled so much that they moved from house to house as they could not even afford to pay their landlords. All of this in spite of family slaughtering goats and offering milk to the gods. Why was there no prosperity, as the gods had promised?
An unexpected invitation
Their daughter invited them for a holiday to come and rest a while at their home in Johannesburg. That Sunday, they asked if their parents could join them to go to church. Reluctantly, they agreed. As Beena entered the church, she felt a deep, warm love. Everybody was friendly, and it just felt comforting.
The warmth of Jesus’ love
At the end of the service, an altar call was made for those who wanted to invite Jesus into their lives. Both Beena and her husband responded to the call. Their children stood with them, and there in the pews they all started to weep as the warmth of God’s love and Spirit filled their lives. The people who sat behind them all got up and came around their family, hugged them, and prayed for them. Never had they felt such love and acceptance. They both knew there was no turning back. They wanted this Jesus. Someone blessed them with a Bible.
The other Lalla daughter with her family.
A bold turning point
On their arrival back in Ladysmith, they destroyed all the statues. They took all the sacrificial gifts to the gods and burnt them. They started to see how God provided for them. Vishnu received a good job after being unemployed for years. His face was skew due to a stroke. God healed him, and the effects of the stroke are hardly noticeable.
Testifying with joy
Beena shared this testimony with childlike faith, overjoyed, with a face lit up and glowing with her love for Jesus. “I feel Him so close. I just hug Him all day and feel I smell His nearness.” She then reached for the cross on her neck chain and shared how she points people to the cross, telling them about His life, His death, His resurrection, and His soon return – using it to reach people for Jesus.
This article is featured in the August issue of JOY! Magazine. Read a digital version of this magazine here: joygifts.co.za
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Date published: 21/08/2025
SOPHIA ROMAN – pioneer, visionary, and life transformation coach. Sophia and her husband, Theo, pastor the West Reach AOG Church in Mitchells Plain.
Feature image: Beena and Vishnu Lalla have been married for 45 years.
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